A crowd of more than 400 gathered on the lawn of the Alabama Capitol lawn as part of the “Guns Across America” demonstration planned in most states.

Waving signs that “People Kill, Not Guns” and “I Have The Right,” speakers and demonstrators said they were standing up for both gun owners and gun ownership.

“We are all united in support for the Second Amendment,” said Bianca Burton, who along with her husband helped organize the Alabama rally.

The demonstrations came after President Barack Obama unveiled sweeping new gun control measures including bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Speakers described gun ownership as a fundamental right and liberty that is under attack.

“People tell me I don’t need an AR-15. My answer is I don’t need one any more than Rosa Parks needed to sit in the front of the bus,” Marcelo Munoz of Shelby County told the cheering crowd. Munoz described Parks as one of his heroes.

Burton and others said a ban on assault rifles would take firearms away from law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to stop criminals who wouldn’t obey the law.

“The thing about a criminal law breaker is they will always break the law,” Burton said.

Participants gathered more than 300 signatures on a petition urging Alabama’s congressional representatives to oppose gun control measures in Washington.

The rally began with a moment of silence for the children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Burton said participants also wanted to counter misinformation about guns and stereotypes about gun owners.

“This was a peaceful gathering. We wanted to send a positive message,” Burton said.

The demonstration brought a single counter protestor holding a “Mom for Gun Sanity and Regulation" sign. The woman, who declined to give her name, said she wanted to show that not everyone in Alabama agreed with the anti-gun control message.